Children & Youth Formation

About

The Christian Formation Committee serves the 87 worshipping communities in the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. Our goal is to provide Christian formation resources and guide congregations in forming disciples of all ages. 

Formation Resources

Virtual Formation Tips

1. Teachers should log in 10-15 minutes early to be available for any kids that want some extra time to talk. This helps create the space for sharing and celebrating. (Halleta Heinrich, Christ Church, San Antonio) 
2. For Elementary Age: Start the virtual meeting with a choice of either show-and-tell time or a fun question prompt.
   For Junior High or High School Age: Start the virtual meeting with a time to share highs and lows from their week. A "high" is a time they felt close to God, a "low" is a time they felt far from God. (Sarah Kates, St. David’s, San Antonio)
3. Encourage parents to watch formation lessons with their kids to help with technology and also to be another adult in the space. (Suzanna Green, St. Luke’s, San Antonio)
4. Pick a structure and stick to it. I have taken some of the prayer/rituals from children's chapel and mixed them into our in-person Sunday school structure to create a virtual Sunday school routine. Do your best to stick to the same routine every week to give the kids a sense of normalcy. (Suzanna Green, St. Luke’s, San Antonio)
5. If you want to share the lesson with others, spotlight your video during the story time, mute all participants and record that portion of the lesson time. This has saved me some time rather than re-recording the Godly Play story or storybook before/after a Zoom lesson. (Suzanna Green, St. Luke’s, San Antonio)

Bibles

Children of God Storybook Bible by Desmond Tutu (Zonderkidz, 2010), ages 4-8
Spark Story Bible: Sunday School Edition (Augsburg Fortress, 2009), ages 3-7‍‍
The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones, ages 3-7

godly play and children's chapel around the diocese

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, San Antonio - Facebook page
St. David’s Episcopal Church, San Antonio - Facebook page
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, San Marcos, Children’s Chapel - Facebook page
St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Kerrville, Children's Chapel - YouTube channel

Study Resources for Children

2020 Staycation Bible School - a seven-session curriculum developed by the diocesan Christian Formation Committee and inspired by "The Very Best Day: The Way of Love for Children", a children's book written and illustrated by Roger Hutchison. The 2020 Staycation Bible School is a curriculum designed for families to connect with God at home over the summer.
All Together Now - interactive Sunday school lessons filled with creative ideas for mixed-age classes combined in the same room.
Episcopal Children's Curriculum - thematic Sunday school curriculum tied to the seasons of the church year and developed by the Center for the Ministry of Teaching at Virginia Theological Seminary.
Godly Play - help children (early, middle, and late childhood ages) explore faith through story, gain religious language, and enhance their spiritual experience through wonder and play.
Hearts Alive Children's Church - lectionary-based curriculum to deepen a child’s personal relationship with Jesus by helping them to know him through his Word, as well as love and serve him through worship and a shared communion with one another.
Illustrated Ministry - accessible faith-based resources for the church and home, designed to foster authentic faith engagement through creative activities and intergenerational focus.
Sparkhouse - resources to engage and build faith in your community with innovative Bibles, curricula, and workshops from birth to adult.

Bible Studies for teens

The Gospel Project
The Bible Project

World Missions Children's Curriculum

To engage children in the work our diocese does around the world, the diocesan World Missions Department wrote five 4-lesson studies for children, highlighting children from Kurdistan, Uganda, Guatemala, Navajoland, and Mexico. Each lesson includes a song, a Bible story, information about the country, and activities. These units can be used for Sunday school, children’s chapel, Vacation Bible School, or a family study at-home. To request a lesson set, contact Marthe Curry, Director of World Missions, at marthe.curry@dwtx.org and specify your country of interest.

Other Online Resources

Faith at Home Daily Devotionals is an Episcopal ministry of Forward Movement and Forma that shares weekly resources for families to facilitate scripture reflection at home and daily scripture reflections for families.

We Wonder Podcast is a short, daily audio recording geared toward spiritual reflection for school-aged children.

Tucked In: Bedtime Stories is a FaceBook group where various people read bedtime stories and share short bedtime prayers via FaceBook Live, every Wednesday.

One in Five Minds strives to engag and educatparents and their support system about mental illness: its reality, its treatment, and its prevention. Mainly, i goal is to provide important information, resources and a community so that families no longer struggle alone.

Connect

Committee Members

• Sarah Kates, Chair - sarahk@saintdavids.net
• The Rev. Casey Berkhouse
• Brian Blacklock
• Laurie Cantu
• Marjorie George
• The Rev. Reagan Gonzalez
• Suzanna Green
• Halleta Heinrich
• Lancy McLain
• The Rev. Beverly Patterson
• Cheryl Smith
• Kris Spilker
• Stephanie Stevens
• Cathy Villani
• Happy Wilson